The Wizard of Wor
by royishere
Summary: A group of exceptionally talented Hogwarts students take on the evil that led to Voldemort, Grindelwald, and every other Dark Wizard in history. Set around 250 years after The Deathly Hallows. T for language and mature themes later on.
1. Chapter 1

**((A/N: A rather large project I've taken on for the folks on the Wizard of Wor message board of , based on the RP that takes place there. This RP, still going strong, has lasted more than a year and has over 300 topics to its name. With 500 posts per topic, that comes out to over 150,000 posts (Yes, that IS over 9000). This fic will take place over three generations of Hogwarts students, perhaps more, and may never be finished. After all, I have a hefty amount to write.))**

_It has been a few hundred years since Voldemort's fall. His defeat ushered in two-hundred and some years of peace and security. Though Hogwarts closed down about one hundred and fifty years in, students who sought magical learning found other routes. The Magical world adapted. Almost one hundred years later, though, everything changed again._

_Hogwarts reopened. The Minister of Magic made the announcement, but did not provide an explanation, or even an explanation as to why it closed in the first place. Owls flooded in, demanding answers, but they were ignored._

_The new Headmaster, Genriala Thelen, a well known witch and confirmed metamorphmagus, has also remained quiet about the issue. She has, however, selected a decent and well known crew of professors, with such notable names as Kaia Pohl and Alfereth Potter among them._

_The stage is set for a new era in Wizarding history, a series of wars that would begin almost immediately. Hogwarts braced itself for the coming conflict, but not even the most prudent of wizards could have predicted the pain that was to come..._

Matt tapped at the wall with his wand. This was getting boring. Professor Thelen had just walked away and _left _them here.

The other first years seemed happy enough. Let them be happy. This would be new to them, he supposed.

One other child, though, seemed to be feeling the same way he did. Slightly overweight, with ginger hair and green eyes, he gave off an aura of boredom. The boy's head jerked up and looked right into Matt's eyes. Matt winked.

The boy shrugged imperceptibly and walked over to Matt. He had a sort of a strut about him, Matt thought.

"What?" he muttered. He sounded vaguely annoyed.

"Nothing," said Matt. "Looks like we're the only pure-bloods in this class. We're the ones who know what's what, that's all."

"I'm the one who knows 'what's what'", said the boy. "I'm Bruce. Bruce Shart. No doubt you've heard of the Sharts, the greatest pureblood line in England nowadays."

"What do you know?" said Matt, shrugging. "I'm Matt Kreckman. No doubt you've heard of the Kreckman clan, the only family that spends more on Wheezes products than food per year."

Bruce just stared. "What the fuck does that have to do with anything?"

"Language, language," said Matt. He was smiling. Absentmindedly, he began to twirl his wand.

Bruce watched the wand spin. "You don't even know any spells.

"Wanna bet?" said Matt, still smiling. "I could show you one-"

"-Try me-"

"-But I don't feel like attacking a crippled kid."

"C-crippled?"

"One, you're fat. Two, you show signs of mental retardation."

Bruce's face turned downright purple and his hand whipped to his belt. Luckily for both of them, though, the door slowly creaked open.

"Come with me, children," said the woman in the doorway. She was tall and stooped, with black hair piled into a clumsy bun. Abruptly, she turned and left. Normally, Matt would have disobeyed just to be contrary, but he was too bored to do anything but follow. Anything to get out of that room. He pocketed his wand and slipped through a group of kids babbling about "This whole magic thing" and got out safely ahead of Bruce, who got caught in the rush of children.

Through the halls they walked. Matt could feel his skin tingling with excitement.

XxXxXxX

Torir smiled to himself. That fat idiot and the grinning prankster may have thought that just because they were easily bored they were the only purebloods at Hogwarts, but he would soon prove them wrong. There were undoubtedly others as well. He strongly suspected that another student he had been talking to, Crosis, was one as well. He had tried to hide it with the cunning expected of a true pureblood, but Torir was just too damn good at reading people.

"...And that chandelier! I bet it would explode mightily!"

"Things don't explode mightily, moron. It just doesn't sound right. Besides, why waste an explosive when we can just unscrew it?"

"Dramatic effect, of course. _Everybody_ unscrews chandeliers, Finch."

Torir's glanced towards the sound. Two boys, grinning broadly... and completely identical. _Twins with a predilection for blowing things up. Why does that ring a bell?_

XxXxXxX

"I'm Gwen, by the way" the girl said, smiling at the raven-haired girl who had been pushed right next to her when the students piled out.

"Lyn," she responded shortly, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeah, did you see the argument right before we pushed out of the room? Cool stuff."

Lyn didn't respond. She began to twist her hair around one finger.

"Don't want to talk? Well, if you change your mind, you can come find me. Not too many girls in this class. We gotta stick together, you know?"

Lyn's mouth twitched in a fair approximation of a smile.

XxXxXxX

"I'm Kratos, and he's Rapache," said the reddish-haired boy.

"Avadeus," said the kid they were talking to. He was tall and well muscled, with a regal air. He held out a hand and one by one, they shook it. As Kratos was withdrawing his hand, the line was jostled and sent somebody flying into his back.

"Watch it!" he growled.

"Perhaps," said Rapache, shaking his long dark hair out of his eyes, "We should talk at a more convenient time- Say, after we get where we're going."

"I'm really sorry," said the boy who had bumped into Kratos.

"No big deal," said Kratos, though he still looked a little peeved. "I'm Kratos. Who are you?"

"I'm Jimmy," said Jimmy. "Who are they?"

"Introductions later, like Rapache said," said Avadeus. Rapache nodded and grinned at Avadeus. _I like him._

XxXxXxX

Crosis was annoyed. He was annoyed all the time, generally, but rarely was it a specific annoyance. He wanted to find that kid, Torir. He'd been interesting.

As he shouldered his way through the crowd, he spotted a girl. Asian and rather pretty. _Next best thing,_ he thought with a grin.

"Hey bay-bee," he drawled, sidling up next to her.

The girl turned angrily. "What?" she said, more shocked than anything.

"You're lookin' _mighty_ fine, girl," continued Crosis in the same drawl. "How 'bout-"

"You ASSHOLE!" yelled the girl with surprising volume, interrupting him with a punch to the gut. "I'm-"

Crosis's eyes narrowed and his mind raced with the possibilities of revenge.

"Will you shut up?" yelled Matt from the front of the line. "We're here!"

Slowly, the students filed into the great hall, absorbing their surroundings with wide-eyed and unbridled curiosity.


	2. Chapter 2

**((A/N: Chapter 2 is up! Chapters 3 and 4, I hope, will soon follow. Maybe even a chapter 5. But after that, they'll come less frequently. And I'll be away for about a month, in which time I won't be writing at all. Bear with me.**

**On a side note, I plan to be editing chapter one to get rid of some continuity errors. As this whole thing started more than a year ago (Maybe even as much as 2), I had to be reminded of some of the details. So check back later, some things might be different. I also hope to make it actually well-written at some point, but I'd like to focus on pumping out as many chapters as possible for now))**

They filed in one by one, student by student. The four tables, eerily enough, were devoid of people. The only people in the room were at the fifth table. The staff.

The woman who had led them to the room was gone. The students milled together in a confused cluster. Crosis glanced up at the staff, naming people he recognised.

_I can see the obligatory descendants of the great wizards, Alfereth Potter, Josiah Malfoy, and Ariana Longbottom. Then, there are the nonhumans: Sir Nicholas De Mimsey-Porpington and Holtempt Firenze. Other notable names include Kaia Pohl, Wilfred Andraffons, and Marianne Murdock. Among others, of course. Not a bad crew, not at all. But I don't see headmistress Genriala Thelen any- Ah, there she is._

Thelen herself was walking swiftly towards them with a stool, and a hat. She began to explain the purpose of the hat to the rapt half-bloods and mudbloods. Crosis, of course, already knew all about it.

He yawned slightly.

"Draconis, Crosis!"

Oh. Apparently, he was first. Funny, there was nobody with a last name of A, B, or C. He stepped proudly up to the stool, pulling the hat over his head. Almost instantly, it yelled "Slytherin!" A bunch of kids jumped. Crosis realised that the hat hadn't spoken until now.

No little rhyme. It had years to think of a new one. How strange.

XxXxXxX

The Sorting Hat was being used for the first time in many years and was rather enjoying itself. It had sorted Gonzales, Kratos, Gordon, Robert (Both Slytherin) and Gregory, Mark (Ravenclaw). Kratos had been tough- that loyalty had almost landed him in Hufflepuff, but the Sorting Hat had glimpsed... something else there. Not inherently dark, but Slytherin all the same. Many of these kids were easy and the Sorting Hat found himself only really paying attention to the interesting kids.

_"Pure bravery... a shining example of what it means to be a... _Gryffindor!"

Frings, Jimmy was the easiest person he had ever sorted, with the possible exception of Draco Malfoy.

_"You're quiet. Too quiet. But I can see that behind the layers of solitude lies a passionate and brave soul. Let it shine forth and you'll know why I've placed you in..._ Gryffindor!

Ghanima, Lyndis removed the hat and walked to her table silently, as she always did with everything.

"_Brave and idealistic. But loyal to the point of blindness. You're a tough one, you are. Not afraid of hard work, indeed, you seem to welcome it. That cinches it. You'd be wonderful in Gryffindor too, but..._ Hufflepuff!"

Karelson, Rapache stepped off the stool uncertainly. He seemed less fazed than the other half-bloods, and the Sorting Hat knew why.

_"Funny, very funny. You've bravery (and intelligence in spades), but that laid back, fun-loving streak is just too difficult to ignore. It's not officially part of the house's qualities, but I have a hunch, and my hunches are usually correct. I'd better stick you in... _Hufflepuff!"

That was Kreckman, Matt.

_"Brave unquestionably so. Proud, noble, level-headed. With the right house, you could go far. And the right house, without a doubt, is_ Gryffindor!"

Morphus, Avadeus had been a very easy sort.

_"What's in your head... Brains, definitely, but not of the Ravenclaw variety. No, no, such subtlety is reserved only for..._ Slytherin!"

Nagru, Torir had seemed very pleased by the hat's choice.

"_Hmmm... Very intelligent and detached. That's surefire Ravenclaw, but you've got a sadistic streak a mile wide. I'm tempted to put you in Slytherin, but my instincts are never wrong!_ Ravenclaw!"

The Sorting Hat would be lying if it didn't admit that Pan, Luna's sadistic streak was seriously worrying.

"_You've got cleverness in spades, but you're a real trickster... What's this? I see what you're planning to do, and that, I have to say, takes some serious stones._ Gryffindor!"

The Sorting Hat had had to say that twice- once each for Polo, Abecrombie, and Polo, Finch.

_"Angry, very angry. A bit too unsubtle for Slytherin, too slimy for Hufflepuff, not quite brave enough for Gryffindor._... Ravenclaw!"

Shart, Bruce. The Sorting Hat had had difficult sorts before, but that one was unique. Usually, children belonged one of two houses, but Bruce didn't really belong anywhere.

"_Vexing, child. Very vexing. Those brains, though... can't ignore them. And I sense... something more within you. Something undeniably_... Ravenclaw!"

Tuddor, Gwendolyn had been far easier to sort than her personality indicated.

There were many other students to sort, but those were the ones the Sorting Hat had found interesting. It had never been able to predict the future, but it had hunches, and, as it had mentioned several times today, those hunches were usually correct. Those students, it felt, would play a vital role in the history of the wizarding world.

And yet, they looked so small and innocent as they split up and headed to their respective tables. The Sorting Hat couldn't help but sigh contentedly.

((**The stage is set!**))


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, I'm actually too old for Hogwarts," said Rapache to Matt, casually, as he stuffed lamb into his mouth. "Just turned 13. But they said I could come anyway, since they were closed and I couldn't come before. Lucky break for me, anyhow.

Matt nodded. "Well, I don't see wh-" he began, but was interrupted by a passer-by. His name was Kratos, if Matt remembered correctly.

"Hey, me too! I'm twelve, and I was worried I wouldn't make it in. I mean, I've..." Kratos hurried away suddenly, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "got nowhere else to go".

"He had a weird accent," said Rapache with a grin. "But at least he's my age!"

"It's Yankee," said Matt, leaning back in his chair. "I've seen one of them before. An odd lot."

The chair tipped. Matt was sent sprawling on the floor of the Great Hall.

"Matt? You alright?" said Rapache, looking at him with alarm.

Matt got up slowly, dusting himself off, trying not to make it look like a big deal. The entire student body (Which was only a seventh of its usual capacity, but still imposing) was looking at him. And in the crowd, Matt could distinctly make out Bruce's face on the opposite side of the room. He was laughing his fat ass off.

Matt met Bruce's eye for a moment, then bowed to the entire room, which burst into applause. Matt slid back into his seat.

"Not bad," said Rapache. "They won't remember this next morning."

"I'm not finished yet," said Matt angrily, whipping out his wand and a sheet of parchment. Rapache gasped.

"Magic?"

"Pure-blood, remember?" said Matt, smiling. "I know a few spells. _Perscribo_!"

Words flashed into existence on the parchment, which Matt began to fold. Then he whistled, beckoning to something above Rapache. An owl swooped down onto the table and began cooing.

"The fat one," said Matt, handing the letter to the owl. Then he leaned back again, this time maintaining his balance, as the owl flew across the room.

XxXxXxX

"Hoy, Ab, I spy some dark brown clouds on the horizon!" said a tall boy with short brown hair, blue eyes sparkling with the thought of conflict.

"Why, Finch, I do believe you're right!" said Abercrombie to his brother, Finch. "A shitstorm is about to unleash upon the Great-"

"Storms don't unleash, halfwit. They break. Or strike."

"Right you are, brother," said Abercrombie, nodding. "A shitstorm is breaking right here under our very noses!" He elbowed Jimmy aggressively.

"So, who do you think's going down?" asked Abercrombie with a wink. "the fat bastard or the cocky douchebag? I mean, come on, it's going to come down to a duel sooner or later. Place your bets!"

Jimmy looked at them dubiously. "Well... I don't really think I should be gambling."

"Suit yourself," said Finch. "Make sure to check out our product line though, we're hoping to compete with Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes once we graduate."

Jimmy looked slightly more accommodating. "Maybe tomorrow, I'm bloody tired."

XxXxXxX

The owl dropped the note in Bruce's lap. He grabbed it and started to smile.

_Bruce Shart- I challenge you to a duel, at eleven of the clock, in the corridor to the dungeons, to prove beyond a doubt who the greatest Pure-Blood wizard here at Hogwarts is. Come alone.- Matt_

He would be there, of course. He would win, too, he was sure he knew more spells than his Hufflepuff opponent. That was the most useless house, after all. Trustworthy, though- He'd probably be fine going alone. Not that he had any friends to take just yet.

XxXxXxX

Matt stood in the corridor, waiting. He wasn't bored, for once. He was alert. It would be just like Bruce to sneak up on him. Or try, at least, fat people's footsteps tended to be pretty loud.

Just like that, there they were.

"I'm here," said Bruce, rounding the corner.

"About time," said Matt. "I was starting to think you'd chickened out."

"I've got nothing to be scared of," snapped Bruce. "You're going to lose. I know I'm better than you."

"Yeah?" said Matt, drawing his wand. "_Relashio_!" he yelled, spraying a shower of blue sparks towards Bruce.

Bruce's wand was in his hand in a second. "_Charza_!" he retaliated. A small fireball sped from the tip of his wand and annihilated the sparks, continuing on towards Matt, who ducked out of the way just in time as the fireball sped by his shoulder and buried itself in the wall behind him, leaving a scorch mark.

"Impressive," said Matt. "But-"

Bruce wasn't done yet, though. "_Slenshien_!" he roared, forgetting any thoughts he may have had about volume. There was an almost invisible ripple in the air and then Matt was reeling backwards with a cut in his chest. He looked back at Bruce with fire in his eyes. "_Steinriese_!" he yelled, pointing his wand at Bruce. There was a crack and stones began to break off the walls, forming into the shape of a man, which ran at Bruce, swinging a stony arm. Bruce ducked under the first blow and pointed his wand at the golem, yelling "_Rumore Forte_!"

There was a burst of sound and Matt blinked, stunned from the noise. When he opened his eyes, the golem was cracking apart.

Matt frowned. "Uh-Oh... Perhaps I needed to practice that more."

The golem, already weak from Matt's inexperience, shattered from the explosion of noise into large chunks of rock. Matt shut his eyes to protect them from the shards.

When he opened them again, Bruce was lying on the ground, unconscious. A particularly large stone had fallen upon his head. Matt would have celebrated, but he could hear the footsteps of rapidly approaching teachers.

"Idiot shouldn't have used a spell that relies on noise," he muttered, fleeing the scene before he could be caught.

((A/N: Back from vacation in Italy, chapters should appear more readily (Though still weekly or so, I don't have unlimited time.

Spell Reference- It's been many years and some new spells have been invented. Here's a list of the ones used in this chapter.

Perscribo- Causes words to appear on paper or another writing material.

Charza- Creates a fireball. Power grows with caster.

Slenshien- Creates a sharp blade of air.

Steinriese- Creates a temporary golem servant out of available materials. Golem's strength grows with caster.

Rumore Forte- Stuns enemies with a sonic boom.))


	4. Chapter 4

**((Credit for this chapter goes to TheKid3000 on gamefaqs, who wrote the first draft for me.))**

"So? Did you get caught?" a curious Rapache asked Matt as the two walked into their first potions class.

"Of course not," the Hufflepuff grinned widely.

"Well…what happened?" Rapache and Matt each took a seat, next to each other.

"You mean after the stupid bloke blew up the statue?"

Rap let out a laugh, and then nodded. "Yeah."

Matt opened his mouth to reply, but was off by the monotone, dreary voice of Professor Josiah Malfoy.

"I'll tell you later," he whispered.

XxXxXxX

"Welcome, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, to your first potions class," droned the teacher, brushing back his mop of long blond hair, an expression of complete boredom on his face. It was easy to tell that he was tired of doing this year after year, almost as easy as it was to tell that he was a Malfoy. Inbreeding had kept genetic drift firmly out of _that_ family.

"…Look, you kids aren't going to like me, and you can be sure I won't enjoy the lot of you either, so let's just make that clear. And you know what? That's fine, because I'm not here to be your friend; I'm here to teach you the art of making potions. Understand?"

About half of the class nodded in unison. Like his ancestors, Malfoy was clearly a man of business, and not one to beat around the bush.

"Now, since this is your first day, I want each of you to make a potion of your own, to see what you can conjure up without my help. You are however, allowed to use your books as a resource, starting…now." He went back to his desk and sat, as the first years all scrambled about to get their materials. "Oh, and I will be assigning grades at the end of class!"

"Man of few words, isn't he?" Gwen asked the Asian girl sitting beside her.

Luna nodded in agreement as she pulled out her cauldron and textbook. "I kind of like it that way. It lets us get straight to the action instead of mindless chitchat, you know?"

"I guess so." Gwendolyn reached down and pulled her things out as well, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity as she flipped through the book. "I wonder what potion I should choose…maybe a Wound-Cleaning Potion?"

"Maybe you can give it to that kid, once I hex him," Luna suddenly snarled, as she turned to the back of the room to face the other participant in the duel from the night before, Bruce Shart.

Gwen turned to face the rather plump boy as well. "He looks like a bit of a creeper," she whispered to Luna.

"He's nothing but a flat out jerk," Luna replied, turning back around to begin on her Confusing Concoction. "Didn't you see what he did to that Hufflepuff kid yesterday? Knocked his seat out from under him for no good reason. I swear, let me catch him in the hallway walking by himself, I'll teach him a thing or two."

Gwen glanced over at Bruce. "I'm pretty sure the kid fell out of the chair on his own," she said. "Far as I can recall, that one was on the other side of-"

At that moment, Bruce peered up from his work, to see Gwen eyeing him. Smirking, he looked towards her and gave her a wink.

Gwen just rolled her eyes and turned back to her work. "Ew, I think he just winked at me!" She exclaimed to Luna with a laugh.

"No way!"

Bruce's face flushed bright red with anger, as the two girls giggled to themselves, trying to hide their chuckling with the sleeves of their robes. That attempt would soon prove to be in vain, however, as Bruce's potion began bubbling at a rapid rate.

"MR. SHART, PAY ATTEN-" Malfoy was a bit too late. The boy's Silencing Draught combusted with a loud bang, and after the smoke cleared, all eyes focused on the chubby Ravenclaw, covered in hot, bubbly, steaming, purple goo. The class immediately erupted with laughter, as the teacher rushed over to Bruce and guided him out the room. "Go see Madame Murdock, she'll clean you up," he muttered, Vanishing the contents of the cauldron as he went.

The last thing the students saw before Malfoy shut the door was Bruce's angry, goo-covered face glaring at them from the hallway. "Settle down, class, settle down," he muttered.

"Man…things just don't seem to be going his way, huh?" Rap asked Matt with a smile.

"Eh, you know what they say, what goes around comes around," Matt laughed, "Karma's a brilliant thing you know."

"Indeed it is," Rap nodded, as he put the finishing touches on his concoction.

"What kind of potion are you making, exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"

"A love potion," he responded, giving the brew in the cauldron a few more stirs. "Should be fun."

"A love potion, eh?" Matt gave Rapache a teasing nudge. "So, who's the lucky girl?"

Rap laughed. "No one… yet."

Matt chuckled.

"And what are you making?"

"Just a boil curing potion," Matt shrugged. "Decided to go with something simple."

Rapache nodded. "I don't blame you."

XxXxXxX

About ten more minutes passed, before Professor Malfoy rose up from his desk again. "Time's up!" He began his inspection of the students' potions.

"…Poor."

"…Dreadful."

"...Poor."

"…Troll."

"…I'm not even going to give you a grade for that disaster."

This went on for quite a bit, the first year's potions had been quite a disappointment so far. The two girls, Gwen and Luna, cringed as the teacher came to a stop at their table. "Hmm… not bad, not bad all," he said with some surprise, looking at the potion that belonged to Luna Pan. "Needs to be a little bit thicker, but other that, job well done. Exceeds expectations."

Luna beamed with pride, as Malfoy set his sights on the potion that belonged to the girl sitting across from her. "Hmmm…. Very good…. Very very good. Honestly, I can't find many faults in this one, it's near perfect. Outstanding! Ten points to Ravenclaw!" Gwen let out a squeal of delight and she and Luna high-fived as Malfoy made his way to Rapache's and Matt's table.

"And what's this, Mr. Kreckman? A boil curing potion? Surely you could have attempted something a bit more challenging than that." He sighed. "It's made well, but I think you could have put a bit more effort into it. Acceptable."

Matt shrugged, seemingly content with his grade.

Malfoy's eyes sparkled as he looked over at Rapache's potion. "Now this, this is I want to see from you, Mr. Kreckman. A love potion, certainly a daunting task for a first year. Excellent job, Rapache. It's not perfect, but by first year standards alone, it's definitely deserving of an Outstanding. Take ten points."

Rap blushed slightly. "Thank you Professor," he said, grinning. Elated, he turned to his bag to get a flask to keep it in, but was quickly stopped by Malfoy's pale, cold hand. His eyes sparkled shrewdly.

"A fine potion, Rapache. Perhaps too fine. You really think I'd let you keep that?"

Rap shrugged. "It was worth a try, professor."

"That it was. But I want the contents of that flask to be five parts water to every part potion before you leave, understand?"

"Understood, professor," said Rap, turning to dilute his potion as the rest of the students filed out of the dungeon. _Damnit._


	5. Chapter 5

"Welcome, children, to a wonderful day of transfiguration!" trilled the lady behind the desk. She was short and plump with vibrant pink hair. Avadeus didn't recognize her.

_Figures we'd have transfiguration with the Slytherins,_ he thought to himself. He knew of the rivalry between the houses and couldn't wait to continue it.

"Yes?" asked the woman in response to Kratos, who had raised his hand. "And your name, too, if you please."

"Yeah. I'm Kratos and isn't our teacher supposed to be Headmaster Thelen? Why isn't she here?"

"Thelen has important business to attend to," said the woman. "I will be your substitute teacher for today."

"I don't believe you," piped up Crosis, smirking slightly. "Genriala Thelen is a registered metamorphmagus. That means she can look like anything," he explained for the benefit of his classmates, "And that's her, trying to trick us. Probably to fool us into thinking Transfiguration's worth a damn." He caught Torir's eye and winked.

_What a douchebag,_ thought Avadeus. _I look forward to taking this guy down a peg or two._

The woman frowned, looking a little put out. Then she began to change.

She grew taller and thinner, her nose retracted slightly into her face, her cheeks lost their red glow, and her hair darkened from pink to muddy purple, then to brown. When the transformation was complete, there was a completely different woman standing in her place. Abercrombie, Finch, Kratos, Jimmy, and several other students burst into applause. Avadeus whistled, impressed, but didn't display any signs of being awed. That wasn't him.

XxXxXxX

Crosis had just beaten the teacher at her own game, shown off his natural intellect, and impressed a fellow classmate. In short, he was feeling damn good about himself. Maybe the Slytherin house would be respected this time around.

"And now that you're seen right through my disguise," Thelen was saying, "why don't you explain to the class exactly why you think transfiguration's useless?"

"Well," Crosis said, reveling in the spotlight, "There's really nothing you can do with it that you can't do with other spells. I suppose there's _some_ cases where a wizard will be messing around and occasionally create something important, but the idea of transfiguration being useful to the average wizard is laughable."

Thelen frowned. "You might not know this, but conjuration is a form of transfiguration, and nobody can deny that-"

Crosis cut her off. "Conjured objects don't last forever and are bound by Gamp's five laws. It's much easier to use a summoning charm for what you need. For every possible use of transfiguration, there's a charm that works just as well."

Thelen looked at Crosis angrily, clearly growing frustrated. "Alright, then. What if a giant were chasing you? You could transfigure a rock into a large wall and save yourself. What charm would _you_ turn to?"

"Oh, that's a tough one," said Torir sarcastically, joining the conversation. "What about the _Avada Kedavra_?"

You could have heard a lethifold whisper in the silence that followed. Crosis grinned at Torir, impressed.

"What _about _the Avada Kedavra?" asked Crosis, filling the silence in the room. The tension, though, remained undispelled.

Thelen regained control over her speech. "Detention, Mr. Nagru and Mr. Draconis. And twenty points from Slytherin each. Never let me catch either of you talking about such... _barbaric_ magic ever again."

The class looked on as the two students and the teacher stared at each other. Then, Torir turned and left the classroom. After a moment's hesitation, Crosis followed. There was obviously a split among the other students regarding the way the situation had been handled.

Kratos glanced at Jimmy as the two left. "I didn't understand a word of that. What are Gamp's five laws?"

Jimmy shrugged, but Finch glanced over. "Five things you can't conjure or transfigure. I forget what they are, but one's money."

"Food's another," said Abercrombie. "Remember, bro? We've tried."

"Right," said Finch. "That must be why Hogwarts needs house-elves."

Kratos interjected with another question. "And what's that spell he mentioned? The giant-killer?"

"I dunno, mate," said Finch. "Didn't quite catch it."

"Sounds nasty, though," "said Ab. "Not in our line of work."

"Let's get back on track, students," said Thelen, cutting conversation short, "Let's try and forget about that interruption. Now, who can tell me the incantation for the switching spell?"

Nobody raised their hands. Thelen sighed. "Open your books to chapter two, please."

XxXxXxX

"Those _morons_," growled Avadeus as soon as the students had left class. "First thing you learn is to not piss off the teacher."

"I don't know," Jimmy struggled to keep up, "He had some good points."

Avadeus turned angrily. "He had _no _points. Everything he said is a flat out lie. Dark wizards like that should have been wiped out completely after Voldemort fell."

Jimmy frowned, trying to remember what he'd learned. "Weren't they?"

"No, duh," said Avadeus. "Just the Death Eaters. All the others who'd been smart enough to stay out of the fighting were spared."

"Well, they hadn't really done anything wr-"

"Doesn't matter," shrugged Avadeus. "Only a matter of time. And if the law won't bring them justice, I will. Dark wizards, werewolves, dementors. All of them."

Jimmy shrugged. "I guess," he said. "Come on, I bet lunch is tasty."

Avadeus caught the change of subject but allowed himself to be led towards the great hall for lunch.

((**Note: You NEVER learn the incantation for Switching Spells.**))


	6. Chapter 6

((Sorry it took so long, had a busy week (prom, senior picnic, college stuff etc. I also had a hard time doing the ending, so I left it for you to do whatever you want with it. Shouldn't have to add more than an paragraph or so)))

"Settle down, class, settle down," Professor Rubes ordered the mass of students gathered in the courtyard. The field was littered with Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students, all of whom were anxious to begin their first class. Much of the excitement was stemming from the enormous cage behind the professor, covered with a thin sheet. The teacher had to wait a few minutes for the class to die down just so he could speak.

"Welcome to Care of Magical creatures," he said with a wide smile. "I am Professor Rubes, and I'll be your Care of Magical Creatures teacher here for these wonderful seven years at Hogwarts."

Before Rubes could continue, a group of hands shot into the air. The professor couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Now, before I answer your questions, put your hands down if what you're about to ask relates to being afraid of the creatures we'll being dealing with."

Immediately, all the hands went down.

"Just as I thought. I get the same questions every year," Rubes sighed. "First of all, let me start off by saying that none of the creatures you'll be dealing with are life-threatening."

A collective sigh was heard over the courtyard.

"Sure, you might get a few bumps and bruises, and may end up in the infirmary a few times, but that's only if you don't listen carefully and follow my instructions," Rubes continued.

Another hand shot up.

"What kind of creatures will we be dealing with, professor?" an eager Rapache Karelson asked.

Professor Rubes beamed. "Why, I'm glad you asked, Mr..."

"Karelson, sir."

"Karelson!" Rubes finished in delight, "We'll be learning about all sorts of wonderful magical beings in this class. Dragons, imps, leprechauns, hippogriffs, boggarts, unicorns, trolls, the list goes on and on! Anything you think of, we'll learn about it, mark my words!"

Rapache nodded his approval.

"Alright, I think the better question is, what are we learning about today?" Jimmy asked.

"Ah, I was just getting to that," said Professor Rubes. "Since today is your first day, I've decided to start you off with something simple."

The teacher pulled the cover off the cage, generating a bunch of ooohs and aaahs.

"This, ladies and gentlemen," said Professor Rubes, in a great state of excitement, "is a clabbert." The professor gestured towards the creature, which resembled a cross between a monkey and a frog. Its smooth skin was a mottled green, and it had short horns and a wide, grinning mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

"Woah," Rapache mumbled. He and his peers moved towards the cage for a closer look.

"That thing is butt ugly," Avadeus commented.

"Yeah," Jimmy nodded.

"It looks like a frog and monkey did the nasty and that thing was the result," Matt said.

Rapache chuckled. "It is quite odd looking," he agreed.

"So, what do you guys think?" Professor Rubes asked. "It's an amazing creature, isn't it?"

"It's cool and all,"Matt said impassively, "but it'd be a lot cooler if we could see it out of its cage."

"Well, uh, I'm not really supposed to do that," the professor laughed.

"I understand," said Matt. The Hufflepuff student did his best to fake the disappointment in his voice.

Professor Rubes couldn't bear to see a student disappointed on his first day. "Alright, I'll let it out, but only for a few minutes," he conceded.

Matt smirked and gave his friends a slight nudge as the teacher went over to open up the cage.

"Now, everyone get in a single file line," Professor Rubes ordered as began to unlock the cage. "I can't have you all crowded around the thing at once, or it'll panic and probably run back off into the..." The teacher's sentence drifted off as he looked back down at the cage. The clabbert had already escaped and was running the other way.

"Great,just great," Mr. Rubes mumbled. "I really don't feel like chasing that damn thing again"

"Everything alright there, professor?" Matt asked, biting his tongue to refrain from laughing.

The teacher's eyes suddenly lit up. "Actually, no," he said, a sly grin spreading across his face.

"Now look what you've done!" Rap whispered.

"Since we have about 30 minutes left, how about we play a game? First person to catch the Clabbert wins 50 points for their house!" proclaimed Professor Rubes, smiling genially.

A loud chatter could be heard among the students.

Huh, 50 points. Sounds reasonable, right, Jimmy?" Avadeus asked his fellow Gryffindor.

Jimmy nodded.

"Come on, let's pair up. It'll be easier to find it if there's two of us," Avadeus continued.

"Right." The two boys raced towards the spot that they had last seen the clabbert.

As the students scurried all over the school grounds for the Clabbert, Matt began walking back towards the castle.

"Aren't you gonna help?" Rap asked.

"Nah, house points aren't really that important to me," Matt replied.

"But this is kind of your fault," Rap pointed out.

"No it-...I didn't...," Matt protested. Then, "well it kinda is... I guess. Dang it, why'd you have to go and play the guilt card?"

Rap laughed. "Well, it was either that, or try to find the thing myself," he said.

"Touche. Come on, lets go." And with that, the two younger wizards raced after the clabbert as well.

Half an hour later, nobody had found the Clabbert. The majority of the students had already given up and had gone back to where their teacher waited. Only a few wizards still remained looking, and among those few were Avadeus, Jimmy, Rap, and Matt.

"Maybe the thing ran into the Forbidden Forest and was eaten by something," Matt suggested.

"Boy aren't you the optimistic one?" Rap quipped.

"You never know," Matt shrugged. "Come on, let's cut around the back of the castle and head over to Professor Rubes. Class is probably over, anyway."

"Alright," said Rap. I can't wait to turn in.

"Man, I wonder where that thing could've gone," said Avadues. "We've checked, like, every inch of this place."

"It's probably moving around into places we already checked," shrugged Jimmy. "Or maybe a teacher got it. I'm about ready to give up, regardless."

"Sounds like a plan," Avadeus said, and the boys turned and walked back towards class.

From the Forbidden Forest, a pair of eyes watched them go.


	7. Chapter 7

"Defense against the Dark Arts," said Professor Potter, "is more than a class. It is more than a career. It is a way of life."

He stared at the unresponsive class. Slytherins and Ravenclaws together were bad news, he decided. They were very difficult to impress, especially with combat magic.

A hint of desperation entered his tone. "There is no more important class than Defense Against the Dark Arts while you are at Hogwarts. Yes, every teacher says this about his or her subject, but - yes, Miss..."

"Tuddor, Professor. And why is this the case? There has not been a Dark Lord for centuries now. Wouldn't that make this class more theoretical, rather than practical?" The rest of the class nodded in agreement and Gwen smiled.

Professor Potter smiled slightly. "It is true that Britain has been rather short on dark wizards, lately. But know this, class. Evil is not always flashy or showy. Evil does not always turn its mind towards such lofty goals as the subjugation of all wizardkind."

The professor's eyes flashed. "The wizard who does not hesitate to use deadly force when committing robberies is evil, unforgivable curse or no. The wizard who would force a witch to perform degrading acts for his own carnal pleasure is evil in a way that dwarfs the similar power of the Imperius curse. The bully who is not yet ready commit an imprisonable offense, but still delights in the pain of others, is another example of day-to-day evil."

Now, most of the class was spellbound. Many were shocked. This was new information to a great deal of students, many of whom had no idea what an Imperius curse (or "carnal pleasures") was.

"Still," the professor continued, "such incidents are isolated and rare. Indeed, I hope none of you need to use the skills you will learn in my class. No, the greatest danger comes from a different source."

"If not a dark wizard, or a-" Gwen was unable to continue, but Potter understood.

"Dark wizards and other, similarly evil wizards, are only human," said Potter, softly. "A trait that every single one of you share with them."

Silence.

"The emotions that drive them exist within all of you, as well," said Potter grimly. "I do not teach only flashy magic to ward off attackers. I teach discipline. I teach mental fortitude. I teach my students the skills needed to conquer the darkness within themselves, as well as whatever lies ahead. In doing so, the entire wizarding world becomes a safer place."

Crosis looked as if he were about to speak, but Potter cut him off with a simple stare.

"For the first half of the class," he said, "you will focus your minds in meditation. It will make learning the spell I teach you after the halfway mark easier."

Students began to grumble at being asked to meditate instead of learning magic, but Potter just waved his wand and sent foam mats to each desk. Then, he Banished the desks to the side of the room.

"Begin," said Potter, and closed his eyes, joining his students in meditation.

XxXxXxX

Bruce would be damned if he wasted his time meditating. He instead focused his mind on thinking about what he was going to do to Matt.

_Not just Matt_, he reminded himself. _Everyone in this school has been laughing at me since day one._

Bruce's eyes flickered open. He glanced around the classroom, casting an especially wicked glare at Gwen, the girl who had shot him down in potions. She was busy meditating at the moment...

A movement caught his eye and he turned his head. It was a blink. Torir and Crosis had their eyes open and had expressions of boredom on their faces. Bruce stifled a sigh. Apparently, other people agreed with him that this class was completely pointless.

_I thought I would be learning spells, so that I could put that smug bastard Matt in his place!_

Bruce began to replay his memory of the duel for the umpteenth time._ I really should have won, I just got unlucky the way the debris from that golem fell. In an actual duel, I would have won easily. Matt just got lucky and I got unlucky! That's all it was! Just like it's been happening all week!_

Bruce stewed on those thoughts until Potter called time.

xXxXxXx

"That's it? Just a striking hex?" asked Torir, sneering.

Potter pretended not to hear. "Simply twist your wand and point at your target. The incantation is_ battuo_. Now, begin!"

Kratos excitedly raised his wand. "_Battuo_!"

There was a whoosh of air and his training dummy rocked as the spell hit it.

"Did you see that? I got it!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Very good, Kratos," said Potter, smiling.

Kratos glanced around the room. Crosis wasn't even trying. Torir was frowning slightly. Bruce's face was screwed up in concentration, his hand waving his wand with more and more desperate movements. Luna and Gwen seemed to have easily mastered the spell, striking their dummies again and again. Other students also seemed to have a relatively easy time with the spell.

"Crosis," said Potter, his tone even. "Would you please attempt the spell?"

Every student stopped practicing and turned to watch Crosis and Potter.

"I just don't see the point, _sir,_" said Crosis. "This spell is weak to the point of uselessness. Nobody uses it. I hadn't even heard of it until you told us to learn it. Why should I waste my time on it?"

"I assure you," said Potter, his voice remaining even, "everything I do in this classroom, I do for a reason. I will tell you why I am asking you to learn the spell once you have tried to cast it."

Crosis held Potter's gaze for a few seconds. Then, making it obvious that he didn't really care, he twisted his wand.

"_Battuo_!"

Crosis shrugged. Nothing had happened. Kratos felt the glee of schadenfreude wash over him.

"Now," said Potter, smiling, "would anyone like to guess why I chose to teach this spell, as opposed to a more useful one? Yes, Miss Tuddor?"

"You want to build up our magical endurance by giving us weak spells to master first, so that we can smoothly move on to more powerful spells?" Gwen guessed.

"Incorrect. A good guess, but a more useful spell would suffice if that were my goal. Miss Pan, what's your guess?"

"_Battuo_ is aimed through the wand, like many defense spells. You want to teach us accuracy before teaching us spells that could hurt classmates if they missed. With this spell, there's no danger of that happening."

"That is indeed one of the reasons," said Potter. "Five points to Ravenclaw. Anyone else?"

Kratos tried to think, but drew a blank. On the bright side, so did the rest of the class.

"I gave you such a worthless spell to master," said Potter, smiling, "_because_ of its worthlessness. Such a spell, with no real practical application, would not have been taught by those private tutors purebloods are so fond of hiring for their children."

Several of the Slytherins looked away, embarrassed.

"In short, everybody in this classroom had to learn a new spell today. Learning a spell is not just memorizing a phrase and a wand movement, class. One must imprint the spell into his or her mind and memory. One can do this through constant repetition and practice... or by meditating for a short period of time prior to learning the spell, leaving one's mind mostly empty and ready to absorb new information."

The room echoed with gasps of comprehension from many of the students.

"There is not a single person in here who should have been unable to cast the spell successfully, had you listened to my instructions," continued Potter. "Those who failed...," and here, his gaze swept over Crosis, Torir, and Bruce," should think twice about ignoring my lesson plan in the future."

Kratos grinned to himself. He hadn't liked Crosis OR Torir. Seeing the haughty Slytherins outmaneuvered by Potter, especially after that Transfiguration class, was a great end to the lesson.

"Class dismissed," said Potter curtly, and the Ravenclaws and Slytherins rose as one and poured out into the corridor.

**((New spell: Battuo: Creates a weak force that strikes the target, rather like a punch. Fairly weak, though power does increase as the caster becomes more powerful.))**


	8. Chapter 8

The first week of school was finally over, and many students had retreated to their common rooms. Friends and enemies had been made, spells had been learned, and fun had been had by all. Studies, though, had given way to the alluring pull of an entire weekend without parents. For many students, this was worth studying.

"Long day?" asked Matt, sinking into a common room chair.

"Long week, more like," said Rapache, grinning. "This place is wild!"

"I know," said Matt, matching Rapache's grin. "I grew up around magic and half of this stuff is completely new to me. I think I won't have discovered even half the castle's secrets before I graduate!"

"I've got a new one, by the way," said Rap. "If you imitate the hand gesture that the statue on the fifth floor is making, a prefect comes along and takes away twenty points for vulgarity."

"Rap, I'm pretty sure that was a coincidence," said Matt, chuckling.

Rapache glanced up, away from the desk, and looked at Matt ruefully. "You're probably right."

"What're you doing?" asked Matt, glancing at the objects littering Rapache's desk. He had been hunched over a book and two bowls.

"Putting old wrongs right," said Rap. "See, I just applied what Professor Potter taught us about meditating. It really does speed up the absorption of new spells. I can't believe it's only a recent addition to spell theory."

Matt shrugged. "You're still limited by the strength of your magical core. That puts a hard limit on what you can cast, no matter how hard you meditate."

"My magical core's relatively mature. Thirteen, remember?" said Rap with a wink. "I got Professor Andraffons to show me this spell, and I've only just learned it thanks to what Professor Potter taught us. Combine that with Professor Malfoy's lesson..."

"What, the one about harvesting toad piss while the toads are aroused so that the stuff is at its most potent?" Matt shuddered at the memory.

"No, troll-brain. The very first one. _Accio water_!"

Rap pointed his wand at the first bowl, which was full of a strange liquid. Sure enough, water rose from it towards the wand. Rapache guided the water into the second bowl and looked at the remaining contents of the second with satisfaction.

"Don't tell me-"

"Shhhh," said Rapache slyly as he poured the contents of the first bowl into a flask. "What Professor Malfoy doesn't know won't hurt him."

"You un-diluted it!" whispered Matt in delight. "Can I see it?"

"Sure thing," said Rap, tossing it over. Matt shook the flask, watching the deep purple liquid swirl. As he reached over to give it back to Rap, the portrait flew open and a newcomer entered the common room.

Matt opened his fingers. Rap failed to close his. Both were staring in astonishment.

She was light and song made shape, glowing with a ghostly radiance. Her golden blond hair danced about her perfectly proportioned face. It contrasted seamlessly with her sensible white dress and azure eyes. Her age was difficult to determine (who, looking at her, would try to guess her age?), but it was clear that she was a new student.

Rap and Matt just gaped at the student, who stared back uncertainly, lashes fluttering. Then, the flask of love potion hit the ground with a crash and shattered. Rap and Matt winced.

"Huh... huh..."

The new arrival waited calmly, her face showing a trace of impatience.

"Huh... hi," Rap managed, his muscles working double-time to produce a weak smile.

The girl made a snorting sound that sounded an awful lot like "boys", turned away from the two, and flounced towards the girl's quarters. Heads turned as she passed.

"I ought to hex you for dropping that potion," Rap said after a few moments of silence.

"Not my fault you couldn't come up with a witty one-liner to make it look cool. Like, 'well, that broke the ice', maybe." Matt shifted uncomfortably, aware of how awful his suggested line was. Luckily, Rap didn't comment.

"At least I said something! You were immobilized."

"Once again, not my fault. Nobody should be allowed to be that pretty."

"Did you see the way the room lit up when she walked in?" agreed Rap. "That's not natural."

"I'll say," agreed Matt. "I've never even _thought_ of girls like... like _that_ before. And now... well, now I can't stop."

"Ten galleons says I get her first," said Rap, stepping gingerly away from the wet spot on the floor. "Even with this repugnant act of sabotage destroying my assets."

"Speaking of assets-" began Matt, but cut himself off. "Deal. Ten galleons and a week of bragging rights."

He held out of his hand. Rapache shook. The two of them smiled death's-head grins at each other.

XxXxXxX

"Are you sure it's here?"

"There is no other place that it could be."

The two men, faces shrouded in darkness, looked back down the path they'd come down. There was a period of awkward silence.

"We've established that summoning charms don't work, then?"

The second speaker sighed in exasperation. "They didn't work on the other one. No reason to suspect the rules would be different."

"Lucky for us we got the first one, ain't it?" said the first, still hoping that conversation would keep him from thinking about anything else.

"It took a lot of time to track down," murmured the second. "And it has always been the most... visible of the three. We knew it would take this long to find another. We were prepared to wait longer."

There was silence again, as the two cloaked figures walked on. Then, the first spoke up again, breaking the silence.

"There's got to be an easier way to find it. These woods are swarming with magical beasts, we aren't allowed to use light in case we're seen, we've been searching for days, and you don't even know if the damn thing's here!"

"Your concerns have been noted, peon," said the second voice, silkily. "I assure you, it's hear. Hundreds of years of false trails, month-long searches, and unreliable information have led us to this point. Found anything, Miller?"

A third figure bowed hurriedly. "Nothing yet, Master Servius. It's a big forest."

Servius spun his wand between his fingers, his impatience growing. "Have you heard anything from the-"

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

Servius jerked his head towards the sound. There was a flash of green light among the trees. Something fell with a thud.

Servius held up a hand for silence, then dashed in the direction of the noise. His feet made almost no noise on the leaf-littered ground. His mind sparked with possibilities as to what could have happened. Some inconvenient, some bad, none good.

When he saw his man standing, he relaxed a bit. "Everything alright, Grudder?"

Grudder whipped around, wand leveled, then blinked, recognition flooding his face. "Just fine, Master Servius. I was ambushed by one of those giant spiders."

"Acromantula," Servius interrupted, annoyance flashing in his eyes.

"Whatever," Grudder shrugged. "Anyway, I took it out easily enough. The stupid thing never saw it coming."

"Did you check this area yet?" asked Servius.

"Nope. I was just about to when you showed up."

He raised his wand, but Servius was faster. A rush of magic swept the area. Servius concentrated - and his face split into a grin.

"Follow me," he said, and took several steps deeper into the forest.

"You found something?"

"I got a magical signature to register. Could be something else, but it could be everything."

Servius cast the spell again, letting it lead him. He began to get a strange sense of foreboding, and his skin prickled. Something dangerous was up ahead. He had to turn b-

He was aware of Grudder stopping, fright etched across his features. The sudden halt jarred him back to his senses. He almost hexed himself for his idiocy, realizing then that he had almost been hoodwinked, compelled to turn away from the ultimate prize...

"Continue," he commanded. "The dread you feel is just part of its defense."

Servius continued walking, and as he did, his eyes _changed_. His vision began to brighten and soon, he could see everything as plain as day. He smiled wolfishly. _No other wizard could have accomplished that trick._

With his new sight, it was easy to spot, and pick up, the small black stone that he had sought for so long. The rush of power that he got when he touched it was enough to set his mind at ease. Here, at long last, was the object he had been searching for. No fake. No forgery. No mistake. Here, in the palm of his hand.

"I've got it," he said, and Grudder whooped under his breath. "Gather the others, and tell them the search is over. We'll apparate back to Long Island and prepare our search for the third piece of the puzzle."

Grudder nodded. "Funny how the first two were at Hogwarts, isn't it? Makes you wonder... could the third be here as well?"

"Probably a coincidence," said Servius. "Still, the third will, by its very nature, be the most difficult to find. We have no other leads. It is... a place to start. Good thinking."

He tucked the Resurrection Stone into a pocket on his robe, satisfied with the day's events. It was all coming together, coming together at last.


	9. Chapter 9

Avadeus needed help.

It wasn't often that he admitted this, not even to himself. But taking on an entire classroom of students, plus the teacher, was probably a bad idea without help.

It had taken some thinking about. After the Transfiguration class, he'd wanted to hex Torir and Crosis hard enough for them to forget what a wand was. It'd save some trouble down the line, as well, when they grew up to be dark lords.

Avadeus knew it was inevitable. The way they'd talked to Thelen, he could just _tell_. He could smell the evil rolling off of their skin. He'd known he had to teach them a lesson.

Then, he had thought that not too many Slytherins had seemed uncomfortable with what the two had said. Maybe they secretly agreed. Avadeus would have to teach them a lesson as well, just to make sure they didn't go down the wrong path.

What better way to teach them a lesson than by hexing the lot of them? And what better way to accomplish this than to do it when they were gathered in one place? Say, in a classroom?

He thought the Polo brothers would help, given their love of chaos. Their flat "no" had surprised him.

"Sorry, mate," Finch (or was it Abercrombie?) had said. "We've got to remain strictly neutral in these disputes. Imagine. If we pissed off the Slythies, we'd miss out on a quarter of our potential customers. That's not good business."

"Customers?" Avadeus had blurted, confused.

"We're going to take over the market," Abercrombie (or was it Finch?) had explained. "The wizarding world has been stuck buying Wheeze's products for far, far too long, and frankly? They've become tired."

"Worn."

"Drained."

"A pale mockery of life."

"We're going to fix everything. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes will fall to the Polo brother's ingenuity."

Avadeus, disappointed, had simply turned away.

_Who could I reach out to? _he thought._ Jimmy'd probably do it. I might be able to get Lyndis to help as well. But three people still isn't enough._

"Yeah? I don't see YOU getting anywhere," said a new voice from around the corner.

"You don't think so? I've already got her name. Estra, by the way. Isn't it beautiful?"

"You actually asked her for her name? How'd you get the words out, Rapache _Stutter_-son?"

"Well... no. I overheard a teacher using it in the hallway. But still, that's more progress than you've made!"

Avadeus smiled slightly. He peeked his head around the corner, only to see two familiar people arguing as if they'd known each other forever. _That's Matt, isn't it? The one who got into the fight with Bruce. Maybe if I..._

"I work slow, oh friend of mine," Matt was saying. "See this? It's my secret weapon. No girl can resist it."

Avadeus had to stifle a laugh. Matt had pulled, from off of his back, a guitar, of all things.

"Yeah? How many hearts have you ensnared with that thing?"

"Well... zero," Matt admitted. "But I've never tried!"

"Hey!" Avadeus called. Matt and the other kid looked up and stopped arguing, suddenly conscious of how loud they had been speaking.

"Avadeus, right?" said the guy whose name Avadeus could not remember in the slightest. Avadeus hated it when this happened. It was just about the most awkward thing ever.

"Um, yes," said Avadeus, hoping Matt would use the guy's name in the conversation. "Look, Matt, I know you've got something going on with Bruce."

Matt grinned. "He's not much of an opponent, but we're at odds, yes."

"How would you like to join forces with me? I'm planning an attack on the..." Avadeus's mind cast wildly about for a class Slytherin and Ravenclaw had together "Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. Give you a chance to hex Bruce, wouldn't it?"

"Why are you attacking a classroom?" Matt asked. "Seems like Potter would kick your arse. Wouldn't it be easier to hex Bruce in a corridor or something?"

"You don't want to take the easy way out," said Avadeus, swallowing. "This is about sending a message. 'We can take you out, teacher nearby or no'. It'd show the other students what we can do."

"He wants to attack the Slytherins," said the other boy, suddenly. "He's worried they're evil because of what they said in that one Transfiguration class. He wants to show them that they face opposition, and needs help to do it, namely, us. He's offering you Bruce to get us on his side, because once the spells start flying, we're going to need to hit the Slytherins before they hit us."

Avadeus and Matt looked at him, dumbfounded.

"It was pretty easy to figure out, given the facts," the kid shrugged. "And for the record, Charms is the better target. Both classes have Slytherins and Ravelclaws, but Andraffons is much more of a wimp than Potter. The less teacher interference, the better."

Avadeus and Matt just looked even more stunned. "How come you aren't in Ravenclaw?" asked Avadeus skeptically.

"Contrary to popular belief, intelligence has nothing to do with the sorting process. It's the personality that dictates how that intelligence is used that's truly important." That was Matt, surprisingly enough. "A Ravenclaw's personality traits, though, usually result in their intelligence being shown off. Intelligent Slytherins, for example, will never let anyone know how smart they truly are-"

"-While intelligent Hufflepuffs use their smarts to benefit their friends and the community around them," finished Rap. "I'm afraid that's all the help I'm willing to give, though."

"Not going to help?" asked Avadeus, disappointed. "We could use you."

"I think I'll sit this one out," smiled Rap. "I don't have a grudge against Bruce... yet. And the Slytherin gits haven't really done anything wrong."

Matt looked rather put out as well. "Have it your way, Rap. Always a next time, yeah?"

"Unless you're all expelled for assault, yeah," Rap said with a wink. "I'll help you all spread the word, though. I assume you want as many attackers as possible."

Avadeus nodded assent. "Just be careful you can trust whoever you tell. I don't want anyone hearing about this in advance."

"We'll be careful," said the Hufflepuffs in unison as they shook hands with Avadeus in turn.

XxXxXxX

With the speed that the news spread, only insane luck kept it from reaching the ears of someone who would have let the attack slip. Luck, and an intense sense of House-nationalism brought on by the entire house being first-year newbies together. Not to mention, a sort of overarching dislike among Gryffindor and Hufflepuff for the two Slytherin targets.

Matt had immediately gone and told Jimmy, and there was no keeping anything a secret after that.

Rap had approached Lyndis and a small knot of other first-year Hufflepuffs. Avadeus had had no trouble recruiting a large chunk of Gryffindor House, most of which knew that Slytherin was, and had always been, their enemy. All in all, a good-sized force.

The common rooms were buzzing that night as everyone discussed tomorrow's attack. There were a few students who had been identified as "untrustworthy", but, for the most part, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff House were fully in support of the raid, and speaking openly about it was not a problem. Though not everyone was taking part in it, for various reasons, just about everyone's house loyalty kept them quiet.

"Wish you were joining us, Rap," said Matt, as the pair made their way towards the men's dormitories. "It's going to be great."

"I told you, Matt, I've got no reason to-" Rap began, but was cut off by a new arrival.

"I hear you're leading the Hufflepuff assault tomorrow. Is it true?" It was Estra, the bewitching girl from before. Matt sensed Rap smiling dreamily beside him. His mind went blank of all conscious thought, for a moment, but the memory that _Yes, He Was Leading the Assault_ shocked him back into the realm of the functional.

"Guilty as charged, Madame," said Matt, trying hard to push thoughts of how brightly her eyes sparkled out of his head. "Joining us?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," said Estra, a smile tugging at her full lips. "I don't understand anyone who isn't going, honestly. It's just cowardice, if you ask me. Well, good to meet your acquaintance, Mr..."

"Kreckman. Matthew Kreckman. And you?" responded Matt, feigning ignorance.

"Estra Androleta," replied Estra brightly, almost singing the words. "See you tomorrow!"

She wheeled about and darted into the crowd, leaving the two boys once again speechless. Matt turned towards Rap with a grin on his face and waited. He didn't have to wait long. Rap came to a decision in seconds.

"I'm in."


	10. Chapter 10

"Alpha One to Red Leader, come in," said Alpha One, tiptoeing down the hallway.

"Shut up, Matt!" growled Red Leader, looking quite annoyed. "We don't need to make this any more confusing than it will be once the spells start flying. Everyone refers to each other by their names, understood?"

"Actually, Red Leader," muttered Lioneye, bashfully, "I'd really rather Andraffons and the Slythies _didn't_ hear my name."

"A good point," said Badger, nodding. "The less they can pin on us, the better."

Red Leader sighed in exasperation. "I'm not afraid of them, and you all shouldn't be either. Hiding your names isn't just confusing, it's cowardly."

"Or smart," murmured Angel, her small fingers clutching her wand.

"I just wish we'd _all_ been able to pick our own," said Badger, smiling ruefully. "I mean, sure, Matt gets to be Alpha One, and Avadeus gets to be Red Leader, but no, you lot have to force me to be Badger..."

"You join up late, you forfeit your name-choosing abilities," explained Nomad.

"Yeah," said Alpha One. "You can't be Gold Leader if you're the last 'Puff to join up. That makes no sense."

"Sure it does," argued Badger. "I'm the best guy you got."

"Such bravado," an amused Angel pointed out. "Let's see if you can put your wand where your mouth is."

Badger bit back a comment about how his ribs tended to get in the way and fell silent, mentally reviewing the spells he knew.

"Let the record show that Angel is a unique asset to the team," said Nomad, "for having the ability to shut Rap- er, Badger's mouth whenever she feels it necessary."

Badger glared at Nomad.

"Let's talk tactics," Lioneye interjected. "We burst in there... then what?"

"Sling your best spells as fast as you can," said Red Leader. "We have to use the surprise to take out as many of them as possible, because there's two houses worth of people, plus a teacher."

"Aim for him," said Alpha One. "He'll put a stop to this if we give him time to think."

"That's all well and good," said Nomad, "but I'm afraid some of us barely know any actual spells."

"Point," said Lioneye. "None of us know any offensive magic."

Everyone looked expectantly at Red Leader, who was suddenly very silent.

"Are you serious?" Nomad almost shrieked. "Nobody thought about this very real problem?"

"I assumed everyone else knew them," said Lioneye. "I guess I was planning to be cannon fodder while everyone else did the damage."

"Alright," said Alpha One. "We don't have time to teach you all a decent library of spells. If you can, remember this one. _Steleus_."

Lioneye burst into a series of violent sneezes, which slowly subsided.

"Just cast that on anyone who looks like they're trying to attack us," continued Alpha One. "Remember, the incantation is _steleus_."

Those who had not yet learned offensive spells committed the spell to memory.

"Now," said Alpha One as the group approached the Charms classroom and began pulling on their masks (red for Gryffindor, yellow for Hufflepuff), "are we ready?"

"Ready," said Red Leader.

"Ready," whispered everyone in unison.

"Right!" said Alpha One, and yelled "_Flipendo_!"

XxXxXxX

Kratos had been struggling to stay awake, he admitted it. Flame-freezing charms, while useful, did not make the most exciting topic of conversation, especially when most of the lesson was about their historical context. Kratos had decided to clock out, and hope his sleeping brain absorbed the information more readily than his awake brain did.

Then a voice shouted "_Flipendo_!" and the Charms door flew open and suddenly, things were a lot more interesting.

As Andraffons looked up in surprise, another voice barked out "_Accio chair!_" and Andraffons's chair came soaring towards the doorway, with Andraffons still in it.

"Nice one, Badger!" called the first voice as a third quickly shouted "_Wingardium Leviosa_!"

A spluttering Andraffons, reaching for his wand. was clipped on the chin by his rising chair, which quickly fell back down on top of him, knocking the professor out cold.

Students looked at each other in confusion, but Crosis and Torir, already apparently aware of what was going on, had both drawn their wands and were firing various hexes at the door. Cries of "_Somnium_!" and "_Steleus_!" could be heard as the masked Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs poured into the room.

Kratos realized then that the entire classroom was under attack, and raised his wand, trying to remember some kind of spell that could be useful. But alas, he had barely learned anything yet. "Um..._ verdemillious_!"

A shower of green sparks erupted from Kratos's wand and struck a Gryffindor's arm. She cried out in pain, but then waved her wand and said "_Somnium_," and then Kratos knew no more.

XxXxXxX

"_Rictusempra_!" yelled Avadeus, pointing his wand at Torir. Torir dodged neatly out of the way, and sent a leg-locker curse back. Avadeus ducked behind a desk, breathing hard.

He was suddenly aware that attempting to take on two Slytherin purebloods by himself with very little training had been a terrible idea. Someone he thought had been Rapache had luckily been there to distract Crosis, or he'd probably be out of the fight already. As it was, Torir was proving to be a difficult opponent.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Avadeus heard, and, peeking out from behind the desk, saw a student that had gotten too close to Torir fall, arms and legs frozen like a soldier standing at attention. That was the fourth student Torir had taken out of the fight, Avadeus noted with some worry. The Slytherins were going to win via attrition if this kept up. He had to end this now.

"_Battuo!_" shouted a Ravenclaw, and his desk thumped as if something had struck it. Luckily, weak spells like the ones they had learned so far couldn't get through a good wooden barrier...

But what if the barrier wasn't wood? What if you changed it? He could change the desk with a switching spell. Or, even better...

_ What if I changed the floor?_

Avadeus grinned, a grin which soon turned into a grimace of concentration as he imposed his will onto the floor beneath Torir's feet through the switching spell. The floor resisted his influence, and he realized that this was about five steps beyond matchsticks into needles. He continued to concentrate as he ducked his head up, then down again as Torir sent some sort of orange spell at him. _Gotta keep him in the same area..._

Then, release. Avadeus felt the magic flood through his wand and into the floor. Torir let out a yelp of pain as the floor reshaped itself into spikes beneath his feet. The distraction was all Avadeus needed to straighten up and yell a hurried "_Somnium_!" and then that was it, the duel was over.

Avadeus walked towards Torir's sleeping body. The spikes melted away, unsustainable at Avadeus's current level of skill. He bent, picked up Torir's wand, spat on him, then jumped onto the desk, firing hexes from both wands.

XxXxXxX

Rapache had been more than happy to take over the duel with Crosis for Avadeus. Avadeus seemed competent, but two Slytherins had seemed beyond his abilities. Rapache, on the other hand, was sure he could handle this snot-nosed kid.

"_Slenshien_!" shouted Crosis. Rap dodged to the side, feeling the spell against his robes as he did. That had been a new one.

In fact, looking around at the battle, it was apparent that the Slytherins were far more well versed in offensive spells than the others. Hogwarts staff had not had time to teach spells that would be useful in a duel.

Well, they had, but you had to be _creative_. None of this point-and-shoot nonsense.

Over half of the students they had brought were having a difficult time of it. They had had no time to commit the sneezing hex to memory and were having little success in casting it. Many were taking the muggle route and wrestling with their opponents.

"_Slenshien_!" shouted Crosis again, and this time, the howling wind slashed through Rap's shoulder. Rap promised himself, as he stumbled back in pain, that he would learn at least one straight-up offensive spell on his own time.

"Erm... _Somnium_!" Rap tried, but he had never truly learned the spell. Crosis easily shrugged it off and responded with "_Blitzsphare_!"

A fist-sized ball of lightning shot towards Rap, who quickly yelled "_Accio chair_!"

The chair came soaring towards Rap, intercepting the lightning in midair. As it began to break apart from the force of Crosis's spell, Rap quickly followed up his impromptu defense with "_Propulso_!"

The pieces of breaking chair zoomed towards Crosis at nigh-undodgable speeds. One of the legs got him across the head and knocked him out cold. Rap let out a small sigh of relief.

"In a few minutes, I'm going to think of something really cool I could have said", said Rapache woefully, to nobody in particular. "But for now, I'm drawing a blank. _Propulso_!"

Another chair swept across the room and neatly into a running Ravenclaw's path. He ran straight into it and sprawled onto the ground, moaning faintly.

And the battle continued.

**((New spells used: **_**Somnium**_**: I actually got this one from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. A basic sleeping spell.**

_**Blitzsphare**_**: An offensive spell that fires a ball of lightning at the opponent. Power grows with the caster.**

_**Propulso**_**: Yet another spell that shoves its target forcibly away from the caster. Kind of like a weaker, less controllable banishing charm, but also **_**not.**_

**The rest of the spells are, believe it or not, canon in one way or another.))**


	11. Chapter 11

Matt wasted no time once the attack was underway. He located Bruce with a single sweep of the room and stalked towards him, dodging attacks as he went.

"Hoy, Brucie," he said as he got close. Bruce whipped around, hand flying for his wand. He immediately recognized the voice.

"We're here to hunt you down," Matt semi-lied, smiling. "The others are making sure nobody interferes. Now, let's continue where-"

Bruce's wand was already up and casting before Matt could finish his sentence. "_Charza_!"

But Matt was already moving out of the way of the fireball. "_Erdenstach_!" he responded, and a spike of earth and stone erupted from the floor. Bruce stumbled away, managing to avoid the worst of the spell.

"_Tarantallegra_!" Matt continued, taking advantage of Bruce's disorientation. Bruce's legs began to jerk around uncontrollably. He attempted another couple of spells, but the jerking of his body made it almost impossible to hold his arm steady and the shots went wide.

"Now," said Matt, unfazed as fireballs zoomed past him, "I really wish I actually knew a spell that would make you look like a prat. But I suppose, for now, I'll have to be content with just telling you that I'm always going to beat you, no matter how many duels we fight."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, controlled his dancing legs for just a second, and shouted "_Blitzsphare_!" It struck Matt in the shoulder, knocking him back a pace. But then he was back up, a hole smoldering in his robes and his skin burned underneath where the spell had struck.

"_Somnium_," said Matt firmly, and Bruce dropped like a rock. "You should really be thanking me. That dancing's got to be the most exercise you've gotten all week."

XxXxXxX

Jimmy dodged his opponent's whip with a well-timed spring and shouted _"Steleus_!" as hard as he could. As had been the case before, a whole lot of nothing happened.

He thought about the other spells he'd learned this week, and concluded that he was going to lose the duel, _hard_.

His opponent - Her name was Luna, he remembered- had wasted no time in using a Flagellus charm on her wand, turning it into a whip. She was blasted good with the thing as well. She wasn't even beating him with magic, she was going all muggle on his arse, and _it was working._

"_Battuo_!" he tried, and he was rewarded with a cry of what he suspected was more surprise than pain. _Why couldn't Professor Potter teach us a more useful spell?_

The whip wrapped around Jimmy's ankle and Luna yanked. Jimmy fell, sprawled on the classroom floor. Luna stood over him, a wicked smile on her face as she brought the whip down. Jimmy rolled and the whip lashed out at his arm, causing immediate burning pain.

Jimmy brought up his other arm, wand clutched firmly in it, and yelled "_Steleus_!" again with a tinge of desperation. Luna brought down the whip. Jimmy stared into her eyes defiantly and braced himself for the strike.

"_Subsisto_!" shouted a new voice, suddenly, and the whip froze in midair. Luna whirled, but-

"_Somnium_!" shouted the same voice and Luna dropped as well. Jimmy looked up at his savior. A masked girl with hair of the same color and length of Lyndis Ghanima's stood over him and extended a hand, smiling faintly.

"Us Gryffindors have to stick together," she said as he took her hand. "Watch yourself, Lioneye. And _do_ try to learn some sort of offensive spell."

And then she was gone, running back into the thick of battle.

XxXxXxX

"To tell you the truth," said Estra to her opponent, a spunky-looking Ravenclaw, "I don't actually know any spells that are worth anything in combat situations."

The Ravenclaw girl let out a sigh of relief, lowering her wand. "You know, I'm really glad you said that. I was starting to think I was the only one."

"I wouldn't lower your wand if I were you," said Estra with a smile. "As a Hufflepuff, I am loyal to the point of foolishness, and will not abandon my house, no matter how hopeless the battle."

The girl's wand was up in an instant. "And as a Ravenclaw, I obviously find the logistics of defeating an opponent with a smattering of first-year general-purpose spells difficult enough to attempt it... for the sake of the challenge itself, of course."

"Glad we worked that out," said Estra. "_Wingardium Leviosa_!"

She focused on a quill-jar on Andraffon's desk, willing it to soar through the air. The girl's eyes moved to track it. "_Propulso_!"

The quill-jar, intercepted by the girl's spell, soared right at Estra's face. Faster than thought, she pointed her wand at it and shrieked "_Battuo_!"

The jar exploded into razor-sharp shards of glass. Seizing the opportunity, Estra quickly yelled "_Propulso_!" back, sending the shards flying towards the girl, who ducked and rolled out of the way, coming back to her feet in a graceful motion.

No new spells were fired. Through the rapid exchange of magic, the two girls had achieved détente. Both were looking at each other with some degree of respect.

"Estra," said Estra, lowering her wand.

"Gwen," said the girl, lowering hers.

Then both turned their backs, and ran to find other opponents, each pretending the other didn't exist.

XxXxXxX

The room was chaos.

Students of all four houses lay, gently snoring, victims of magically induced sleep. Others lay unconscious due to bumps and bruises, or for other various reasons. Fewer than half of the original raiders were left on their feet, but fewer still were the numbers of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw students. The raiders were generally snoring gently, or incapacitated due to hex damage, while the attacked students were mostly unconscious due to physical assault.

Avadeus remained on the teacher's desk, both wands still clenched in his hands. He was picking off Slytherin after Slytherin with sleeping charms. He sent one at a Slytherin who had poked his head up from under a chair, sending him scurrying back to cover.

"I've got it," he heard Rap mutter as the latter sent the Slytherin's chair soaring through the air. "Should have said 'Here's some dessert. With a _chair_-y on top!' Would have been perfect."

Avadeus sniped the suddenly exposed Slytherin with a quick "_somnium._"

Matt was dueling Gwen, the Ravenclaw girl. Light played across their faces, and from their wands, and all over the room. Gwen had obviously figured out the same thing Rap had - that object manipulation was the best strategy that a first-year could be reasonably expected to manage. She seemed to be holding her own against Matt, even with his extensive knowledge of spells.

Avadeus grinned as Lyndis caught the last Slytherin in the back with a sleeping charm. A few Ravenclaws were huddled behind a barricade of chairs while Matt and Gwen continued to duel. _Almost over_, Avadeus thought. _A job well done._

Suddenly, pounding footsteps. Avadeus had only enough time to realize that a teacher had obviously heard the clamor of the battle before the door burst open again and Professor Alfereth Potter ran into the room.

"FINITE INCANTEM! FINITE INCANTEM, BITCHES!" he yelled, brandishing his wand into the midst of the pandemonium. All around the room, those that had been put to sleep or harmed by spells began to rouse themselves.

Avadeus looked around the room, noticing that much of the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff force was suddenly rising to their collective feet. "Time to go, everyone!" he yelled, but they had already begun to move independently of the order.

"Stop!" Professor Potter yelled frantically, and a silver light suddenly filled the room. Avadeus's limbs grew suddenly heavy, and he could see the same feeling spreading to everyone in the room. Movement was slowly ending as students lost the will to fight their own limbs for the right to walk.

_It was a good run_, thought Avadeus. _A bit reckless, but we beat 'em before we all got expelled. Maybe-_

"_Accio wand_!"

Rapache's wand was up, and pointed at Potter as he cast a spell that no first-year was expected to know. Potter's eyes widened in surprise as his wand shot out of his hand towards Rapache. The silver light vanished, and students began to charge out of the classroom again.

"_Propulso_!" said Rapache, sending a desk at Potter. Potter leaped to avoid it, but the leap carried him farther from the door.

_Lucky the Slytherins used spells to stun us or we'd still be unconscious on the ground_, Avadeus though as he left, carrying the one physically unconscious Gryffindor. As he left, he saw Matt recast the sleeping charm on an awakening Bruce. Rapache tossed Potter's wand high, and then charged for the door. He escaped on the heels of Matt and Estra, adrenaline fueling their flight.

"This is Alpha One!" Matt was yelling down the corridor. "Remember, cast the last spell you learned in class a few dozen times in case they check our wands... you can say you were practicing!"

They turned around a corner, just as a tangled mass of ropes smashed into the wall behind them. Potter had recovered his wand. As the students ran, the ropes slithered after them, intent on capturing them.

"_Propulso_!" Rapache yelled again, and the ropes went flying backwards, leaving the students completely out of reach.

"In here!" Jimmy, one of the first students out, called back to the rest of the fleeing students. "Potter will be organizing teachers to cut us off. We've got to climb through here!"

He grabbed a portrait on the wall and swung it open, revealing a passage. The students climbed in and Matt swung the door closed just in time. Seconds later, Potter's footsteps could be heard. He was moving quickly, but he passed the portrait without checking it. Every student held his or her breath, then released it in a deep sigh when he was gone.

"Right," said Lyndis, pulling off her mask immediately. "They'll be waiting by our dormitories. We can't go back."

"We can't stay here," Jimmy said, just as quickly. "We have to find a way back to our dorms."

"Everyone stay put," said Rap. "We rush, we'll run right into the teacher's hands. Right now, we're hidden. We can calm down and think up a plan."

Everyone began to take off their masks, whispering to each other about the battle. The group moved slowly up the passage, so their whispers wouldn't be heard through the portrait.

It was some time before new voices were heard down the corridor.

"-Gotta be here, or they would have been caught."

Avadeus stiffened, and drew his wand, but quickly tucked it away again as he saw the familiar faces. "Ab and Finch!"

"The whole castle's buzzing with the news and all," said one (Avadeus couldn't tell which).

"They've set up a watch outside the dorms," said the other. "You guys've got no chance of getting back in without getting caught."

Other students, noticing the arrivals, started gathering around the Polo brothers.

"Gryffindors," said one of them, "take this." He pulled out a folded piece of parchment from his robes and unfolded it.

"I drew this up for you all," he said. "We figured you were hiding in this passage based on its proximity to the defense classroom, and took the liberty of helping you get back safely. If you exit this passage by taking a right at the fork up ahead, then go down the staircase at the end of the corridor, and take the second right, there should be a tapestry. Follow the passage behind it, and you should be able to open the window at the end of the passage. You'll have to scale Gryffindor tower but you should be able to climb in a window."

Lyndis gratefully took the paper. "Gryffindors, follow me," she said. She knew they would reach their destination safely - if there was anyone she trusted to know every passage in Hogwarts a week into the school year, it was the Polo brothers.

"Hufflepuffs," said the other, pulling out another sheet of parchment, "this route's for you. You're also going to take a right at the fork, but you'll want to go down the staircase, up it, and then down it again. It's enchanted to allow you to go down a level, but not up, so it'll take you down as many floors as you need to go. Repeat the process until you've moved down a total of four floors, then follow the way the statue of Ogee the Oblivious points until you reach the loop - you'll understand what I mean when you get there - and follow it around to the cluster of ancient runes. Tap the runes with your foot, say "down", and you'll sink into the floor. Once you're in the chamber, take the pathway over, then up. Move the cushion at the top, and you'll come up from inside a couch in the Hufflepuff common room."

"You can get into the Hufflepuff common room?" asked Matt, incredulously, "but that's-"

"Don't worry about that now!" said the Polo brother, dramatically. "Just take the map and GO!"

Matt grabbed the map. And they went.

**((New spells: The Flagellus charm: Causes a whip to sprout from your wand, which can then be used as a normal whip. **

_**Subsisto**_**: Causes the target object to become inert. Duration increases with power.))**


	12. Aftermath 1

**Aftermath: Lyn**

As the Gryffindors climbed in through the window one by one, a great cheer went up from the remaining few students who had been waiting in the common room. The strike force broke up into knots, each student recounting the battle. Lyn found herself in a group with two other Gryffindor girls, one of which had stayed behind.

"They've got teachers waiting outside the portrait holes," she was saying. "Good job you managed to get back in another way."

"Yes, the Polo brothers were quite helpful in that respect," said Lyn, smiling.

"All in all, a pretty perfect victory, wouldn't you say?" asked the third girl, Maria.

"I wouldn't be too sure," said Lyn. "Thelen hasn't brought down the heavy end of the hammer yet. Once she figures out that all the students are in the dorms, something is going to happen."

"Can't prove it was us!" said Maria.

Lyn was about to say something, but the other girl cut her off. "No matter what the teachers do, you guys are heroes. We'll be talking about this raid for months."

_Heroes,_ Lyn thought, shrugging inwardly._ I could get used to that._

**Aftermath: Crosis and Torir**

"Can't believe we got taken out by the two most useless houses in Hogwarts," muttered Torir, dryly.

"At least you were taken out by a Gryffindor," responded Crosis, a bitter note suffusing his tone. "Mine was a thrice-damned Hufflepuff."

"At least yours was older than you! Mine was my age!"

"Such humiliation," murmured Crosis. "We have to get even with them."

"I concur," said Torir. "And retribution must come from our hands. Whatever punishment the teachers decide to hand them is inconsequential."

"Then it's agreed," said Crosis. "We bide our time, then strike like a snake when the time is right."

"They'll-" Torir stopped, suddenly feeling a lightness at his waist. He reached towards his robe pocket, hand confirming what he already knew.

"The rutting Gryffindor bastard," growled Torir. "He took my wand!"

**Aftermath: Matt**

"Aren't you glad you came along?" Matt asked Rap as they basked in their newfound infamy.

"In the sense that you'd all have been screwed if I hadn't?" asked Rap, trying to keep a straight face.

"In the sense that we're bloody heroes," said Matt, smacking Rap on the shoulder.

"Well, Estra _has_ been giving me the eye ever since I trounced that snake in single combat," said Rap. "Perhaps the attack _was_ a good idea."

"Pretty sure that's your imagination, mate. But speaking of which...," sad Matt, flushing a little.

Rap waited politely.

"I know we had a bet, but I'd like to duck out," said Matt, quickly.

"Duck out?" snorted Rap. "You're just scared I'll win!"

"You must be joking," said Matt. "You'd never have beaten me. It's just, my heart's not quite in it anymore."

"Your heart's not in it? Sounds like a cop-out to me."

"No, Rap. That duel I had with the raven was just... breathtaking."

"Gwen, you mean?" Rapache frowned, puzzled.

"Gwen? Was that it? Such a beautiful name... You know she held her own without using any combat spells?"

**Aftermath: Bruce**

Bruce walked with purpose down the corridor, robes swirling. Matt had made a fatal mistake attacking him like that!

He would go to the Headmistress's office and tell her Matt had taken part in the attack. And then he'd be expelled and out of Bruce's life forever.

He turned a corner and saw the gargoyles up ahead. He was breathing a little hard, but he felt better than he had in-

"Going somewhere, Bruce?"

Bruce jumped, then relaxed when he saw who it was. "T-Torir. You startled me."

"Going to visit the Headmaster, were you?" asked Crosis, appearing from the other end of the corridor. "A good idea."

"I take it you had the same?" asked Bruce. "We should go in together. Thelen will believe three students more readily than one."

"On the contrary, Bruce," said Crosis. "We've got our own plan to punish the attackers, and we don't want the teachers to do it for us."

Taken aback, Bruce found himself momentarily tongue-tied. "A... a good plan. I wish you the best of-"

"You misunderstand, Shart," growled Torir, eyes flinty. "We don't want _anyone_ to blab to the Headmaster. She might expel them, and then how would we get true revenge?"

"But Matt-"

And Torir's wand was suddenly at Bruce's throat. "So if you go to her, or any other teacher, and tell them anything, _anything_, we will find out. And we will carry out our revenge on _you_, instead."

Bruce swallowed. Matt was annoying, but Torir and Crosis were legitimately frightening. "Yes, yes, I understand. Please let me go."

Torir slipped his wand back in his pocket and turned his back. Bruce turned away from the Headmaster's office and ran back towards Ravenclaw tower.

**Aftermath: Avadeus**

Avadeus grinned at the crowd that had formed around him. "And then the brute fired off a huge fire spell, but I blocked it. I fired off a stunning spell, and Torir was unconscious at my feet," he embellished.

"You beat Torir?" asked a dark-haired Gryffindor, looking incredulous.

Avadeus smiled even wider, reaching a hand into his pocket. "Would I have... _this_, if I didn't?"

"Torir's wand!" gasped the Gryffindor, awestruck. There were gasps from the crowd.

Avadeus looked at the wand for a good few seconds, and then, to the delight of the crowd, snapped it in half.

And that was how Torir's wand died - to thunderous applause.

**Aftermath: Abercrombie and Finch**

"Bit of a perfect result for us, eh, Ab?" smiled Finch.

"Better than perfect, Finch," said Abercrombie. "We maintain impartiality... towards all groups except Hogwarts staff, anyway."

"It was only a matter of time before we were involved in open war with _them_, anyway," said Finch. "And to the students, we get to be the big, damn heroes."

"Lucky we'd been exploring the school for secret passages, innit?" muttered Abercrombie. "They never would've made it back safely otherwise."

"Yeah," said Finch. "We've got to memorize all of them by the end of our time here."

"Imagine if there was some kind of map, that just showed them all to us," said Ab. "Wouldn't that be great?"

"Well, then the passages wouldn't be so secret, would they?" snorted Finch. "No, a map of Hogwarts would take all the fun out of exploring the place. Next, you'll be wishing we had something that showed us where every teacher in Hogwarts was keeping watch."

**Aftermath: Kratos**

Kratos looked around at the common room, which was buzzing with conversation about the attack. "So, what happened?"

**Aftermath: Gwen**

Gwen flushed as she'd remembered that final battle. Whoever the Hufflepuff had been, he'd been _good_. With a tingle of excitement, she retraced her wand movements. Despite not knowing a single combat spell, and her opponent obviously knowing several, she had managed to hold him at bay until Potter had arrived.

"...Gwen? What are you doing?"

"Nothing, Luna," said Gwen, smiling dreamily. "Just thinking."

**Aftermath: Andraffons**

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do until supper," said Thelen. "Then, the staff posted by the portrait holes can see who was in their common rooms, and the rest will be investigated."

Andraffons scowled and resumed pacing. His chin and his forehead were sporting matching bruises. "Those students attacked me, Thelen. I never would have expected Hufflepuffs to act in such a manner. The perpetrators must be caught and punished!"

"Well, we can't use legilimency or veritaserum, professor. It's illegal," said Thelen. "We could use _priori incantem_, but they'll probably have taken precautions against it."

Andraffons scowled. "Then our only option is to wait?"

"For now," Thelen replied. "Wait and see."

**Aftermath: Jimmy**

"Well, if I _had_ been one of the people who raided the Charms classroom, I wouldn't go spreading it around..."

**Aftermath: Luna**

Luna cast a chilling glare at Bruce and cut him off mid-sentence. "I don't care what Crosis and Torir said to you. You're creepy, and I don't want to help you. Understood?"

"But-" Bruce spluttered.

"Out!" snapped Luna, going for her wand.

Bruce took the hint and left.

**Aftermath: Rapache**

The research had gone smoothly. The meditation trance, even more so. Now, Rapache stood, leveled his wand, and said, evenly, "_stupefy._"

A bolt of red light burst from his wand and hit the wall, dissipating on impact. Rap smiled.

The door flew open and Matt burst in. "Rap, we're all going down to dinner."

Rap tucked his wand into his robes. "I'm ready. Let's show the teachers we've been here the whole time."

**Aftermath: Potter**

Potter straightened up as the Gryffindor portrait hole slowly opened. Students were coming down to dinner. He prepared his list of students and began to check them off, one by one.

His feeling that something had gone wrong increased with every check he made. Finally, the portrait hole closed, and Potter looked down at his list.

Every student had been accounted for.

**Aftermath: Estra**

"Matt? Rapache?"

They turned, surprised. "What is it?" Matt asked, a little surprised.

Estra blushed. This wouldn't have been at all difficult if she'd been a little nicer her first day here. Now all she could do was try to repair the damage. "I was just wondering, could I eat with the two of you?"

Rap made a barely audible splutter. Matt grinned. "Didn't know you wanted to get to know us. Why the change?"

"There are some things people can't share without ending up liking each other," Estra shrugged. "And dueling half of Hogwarts's student population is one of them."

Noting the surprised look on the boys' faces, she laughed. "Hermione Granger's autobiography - in her chapter about the first year of Hogwarts."

And, now fast friends, the three went down to dinner.

**Aftermath: Thelen**

"Students of Hogwarts," Thelen began, looking sternly out at the gathered students. "I am most disappointed in your conduct today."

She could feel the ripple of resentment and worry that swept the student population at her words.

"An unprovoked and concerted attack upon a classroom is a disrespect that we can not, and _will not,_ bear, she continued. "As you were clever enough, today, to avoid detection, we cannot punish you. But know that our staff is strengthening its efforts to stop such attacks, and that they will not be permitted to occur. Teachers will circulate, now, and-"

There was a commotion at the Ravenclaw table. Thelen's eyes flicked over - and gasped.

One boy had clambered to the top of the table, a hateful expression on his face. He raised his wand and traced a pattern in the air that she suddenly recognized in horror, and his mouth was moving and she knew the incantation he was speaking and her wand could barely make it up in time-

Dark, hateful flames were bursting from the boy's wand towards the Hufflepuff table, and forming into the shapes of terrible beasts - chimeras, lions, and great, winged dragons. There were gasps of shock and screams as the temperature of the room rose significantly.

"_Protegoso Lum!_" Thelen shouted, and the fire was suddenly contained within a blue bubble with walls of pure magic. She gasped with the strain of maintaining the powerful spell - the fiendfyre within was hellbent on escaping its bonds.

She felt magic from the other teachers join hers. The students watched, in wonder, as the fyre thrashed within its magical prison, sending off angry light in all directions. Confident that the other teachers could hold the shield against the assault, she focused on the fiendfyre itself.

She cast out her mind, sending ripples of thought crashing over the flaming beasts like a tidal wave.

_Your master has no hold on you_, she thought, straining herself to her limit. _**I **__am your master now._

The fyre resisted. It had been made to resist magical control, or it would have been useless as a weapon. Thelen, though, was no ordinary witch.

_You will bend to my will!,_ she raged, a bead of sweat trickling down her cheek as she struggled. _You will obey me, and only me!_

Slowly, haltingly, the fyre turned towards her, acquiescent.

Diminish, Thelen commanded mentally, now sweating visibly. Die and never return.

It took more effort than taking command had - fiendfyre was not meant to die without a fight. Finally, though, it faded away, leaving nothing but a blackened patch of floor and a bunch of frightened children.

Thelen breathed deeply and, once again, stared out over the hall.

The boy who had cast the fiendfyre was gone.

**((Now that we've had an aftermath chapter, it's time for a break, I think. The start to the next part of the story will come whenever.))**


	13. Chapter 12

Bruce woke slowly, as he always did. It took him a few minutes to blink the bleariness from his eyes and look around-

-at a circular white room with nothing but a bed, where he was currently resting. He blinked, rubbed his eyes again, and wondered where he was... only to gasp in shock as the full events of the previous night came rushing back to him.

_ Hearing Thelen's words, Bruce began to shake. He felt he was vibrating with rage, every molecule in his body threatening to explode at once. That his attackers would get off scot-free thanks to her incompetence, and the Slytherin threats, was unforgivable. He could feel the hatred wash over him, and then he was no longer in control over his own body. He saw, rather than felt, himself lift himself out of his chair and point his wand at Matt. He saw, rather than felt, himself speak words unfamiliar to his mouth, channel power far greater than any he had ever imagined, direct fiendfyre at his hated rival. He saw, rather than felt, himself run while everyone looked at the fires he had conjured. And only then did he regain control of his thoughts._

What have I done? _he wondered. And then,_ I'm going to be expelled for sure.

_ He could do nothing but continue to run, looking for a hiding place._ I'm in so much trouble_, he thought again and again. _I need somewhere to hide, I need somewhere to hide, I need somewhere to hide...

_ And as if responding to his thoughts, a door had opened in the wall. Without thinking, he ran in and locked it behind him, then walked over to the bed and collapsed into it, falling asleep immediately._

And now... Bruce still wasn't sure what had happened. _How could I cast a spell I didn't know?_

As if in answer, bookshelves began to appear on the walls, books firmly nestled within their shelves.

"Well, that's handy," muttered Bruce to himself. "And I could really use a change of clothes..."

A fresh set of robes, neatly folded, appeared at the foot of the bed. Bruce smiled. Obviously, this room responded to the wishes of whoever was in it. "And I'm hungry."

But no food appeared. Instead, a section of the wall opened up to reveal a passage.

_No food, eh?_ wondered Bruce. _Perhaps it waits for me down that passage. But first..._

Bruce walked up the bookshelf and took the shortest book off of it. He was determined to learn what the room wanted him to know.

XxXxXxX

"No sign of him?" muttered Avadeus to Jimmy as they walked towards Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Teachers have been looking," said Jimmy. "He hasn't gone back to the common room. They think... they think he might have left the school."

"That bastard," growled Avadeus as they rounded the corner and came face to face with the portrait that led to the staircase. "Puffskein," he said as an afterthought, and the portrait swung open.

"What was he thinking?" wondered Jimmy, knocking twice on the banister of the staircase. It began to move under them. "I mean, using a dark magic spell in front of the Headmistress? That's gotta be the stupidest-"

"What I want to know is where he learned it," said Avadeus. "Didn't know that one was on the syllabus."

"Maybe he- PEEVES!" yelled Jimmy as the cackling spirit zoomed away with his now-emptied bucket. Avadeus looked sympathetically at his drenched friend.

"I'm going to kill him," said Jimmy darkly.

"Peeves, or Bruce?" quipped Avadeus.

"Does it matter?" returned Jimmy. "I'm paying extra attention in DADA today regardless."

XxXxXxX

_Depravenous syndrome_, read Bruce. And then, out loud. "Yes, I think that's the one."

Depravenous syndrome, he learned as he read, was a mysterious magical disorder. Not much research had been done on it, for the simple reason that the only people it affected were too insane to allow themselves to be tested. In fact, there were even some who didn't think it to be a legitimate disorder, but simply behaviors that were shared among dark wizard megalomaniacs.

_Quick to anger_, the book said. _Delusions of grandeur. Magical ability greatly enhanced when using dark magic. Driven by a lust for power and/or revenge._

Bruce was smiling now. He didn't understand most of the words being used, but he knew enhanced magical ability was a good thing.

There was a pressure building in his head now. A siren song of power and hate was whispering in his ears... he spun around, wand out, pointing it threateningly at...

Nothing.

Bruce frowned, suddenly a little frightened. He knew he should have eaten something. This room was starting to creep him out. He'd been alone all day, reading, but now he felt as if something was watching him. He turned away, back to the book, but decided that he was too tired to read any more today. In fact, he realized, he was too tired to even walk down that mysterious corridor. He would be safe sleeping here another day... and then he could find food.

He had fitful dreams that night. He was falling through darkness, trying to grab onto handholds that dissolved to shadows in his hands. He was screaming for help and then there was someone beside him, grabbing him, halting his fall. Bruce looked over at his rescuer and saw a pale white face beneath a cloak, a pale white face with eyes that shone a malevolent red. An oddly serpentine face that did not reassure Bruce one bit. Bruce reached for his wand, but at that moment, he woke up.

Once again, the bleariness. Bruce rubbed at his eyes for the minutes he needed to get going... but as he lowered his hand, he saw two bloodred spots on his skin.

On the back of his hand, right next to each other, like malevolent pale eyes.


End file.
